StaffDiscovery InstituteNovember 9, 2004Print ArticleNOV. 9, 2004 – The actions of the Cobb Co. School District’s attorney Linwood Gunn are being publicly questioned by legal experts wondering why he is not mounting a more aggressive defense of his client.

“The ACLU called a noted scientist to the stand during the first day of the trial, and the School District’s attorneys have decided not to have any scientists serve as rebuttal witnesses,” says Seth Cooper, an attorney with Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture. “This is a blunder of the first order. The testimony of a scientist should never go unanswered by a scientist if the defense mounted by Gunn is to be considered a serious one.”

Two dozen scientists in the state of Georgia alone have signed an amicus brief acknowledging the importance of students learning about the scientific controversy over neo-Darwinian and chemical evolutionary theories.

“It appears that, because of the Gunn’s failure to call expert witnesses the Judge will not get to hear directly from these scientists,” says Cooper. “If I was a parent in Cobb Co., I’d be wondering why this attorney is not doing more to protect the school district from censorship. If I were a teacher in the district, I’d give him a failing grade.”

“The future of academic freedom could be at stake in this trial’s outcome, with this case acting as a precedent for other parts of the country,” adds Cooper. “A vigorous defense of the sticker’s constitutionality would help ensure an outcome which reaffirms the rights of students and teachers to discuss the scientific controversy surrounding neo-Darwinian and chemical evolutionary theories. Sadly, it seems that the defense mounted thus far puts these rights at risk.”

About Seth Cooper
Seth Cooper is an attorney and Program Officer, Public Policy & Legal Affairs for Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture.

About Discovery Institute
Discovery Institute is a non-profit, non-partisan, public-policy, think tank which promotes ideas in the common sense tradition of representative government, the free market and individual liberty. Current projects include: technology, the economy, science and culture, regional transportation, and the bi-national region of "Cascadia." http://www.discovery.org/.